


Lil' Asshole

by Measured_Words



Category: Ashnabis, Pathfinder (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Corpseborn, Established Relationship, Homebrew Campaign, Monkeys, Non-binary character, Other, Pets, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 07:39:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16321988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Measured_Words/pseuds/Measured_Words
Summary: An intro ficlet from a character background in a heavily homebrew Pathfider-based game.Daifan receives a gift from their lover.





	Lil' Asshole

It was early afternoon, and Daifan was bored.

Khesh was gone in to work, probably for the whole day, though sometimes he stopped back in the afternoon with things he'd picked up form the market for Daifan to put together for their supper. They were getting better at that, though learning to cook the kinds of food he was used to was a slow process. 

Like with other things, it had taken him a while to understand how incredibly daunting his apparently simple requests could be for someone who was Corpseborn. Daifan had never had access to the kinds of foods he was used to eating, and had very little idea what they were meant to be like. Conversely, the kinds of things Daifan had grown up eating barely qualified as food in his eyes. They were both still learning how to live together, but so far it was proving worth the challenges.

Boredom was one of those challenges. They'd put on one of the new gowns that Khesh had given them, but it had a fine embroidery in bronze thread running along the collar. That meant they couldn't risk wearing it outside of the house, even under their clan vest. So it was either change and go out to visit their family, and risk not being home if Khesh returned, or stay home alone.

They were sitting in front on their dressing table with a mirror, experimenting with a technique to replicate a lip treatment they'd seen on a high-class woman the other day. Daifan couldn't use the bright red she'd been wearing, but the gloss she'd managed shouldn't be outside their reach, if they could figure out how she'd done it. The layer of oil they'd just applied looked very nice, but they suspected that it wouldn't maintain the shine very long.

Just as they were about to wipe it off to try something new, they heard the door open.

"Jewel?"

It was Khesh. He still used the name they'd been using when they first met, even though he knew it was false. It was like how he still spoke to them like they were a woman – he knew that it wasn't true, but that was how things were fixed in his mind, and he claimed it was easier for him to protect their secret. Daifan could understand that, and didn't mind overly much. They rose now, straightening their hair, and went to greet him.

"I'm here, dear one."

They swept out into the hall to meet him, smiling at the look of awe and adoration that crossed his face. He was standing beside a covered basket of some sort, but reached his hands out towards them.

"My beautiful treasure…" He drew them close for a kiss, unconcerned by how the still-wet pigment smeared across his own lips.

But something in the basket rattled, and Daifan was startled out of the embrace with a squeak. Khesh laughed, pulling them close again while they eyed the basket dubiously.

"I've brought you a present, my precious. I know you've been lonely."

Daifan nodded. They hadn't told Khesh, but they weren't surprised he'd picked up on it. They peered at the basket more curiously. "What is it?"

"Open it." He smiled more widely, nudging them towards the basket, which rattled again from whatever was skittering around inside it.

Daifan removed the cover carefully, and gasped in delight at the precious little creature inside. It looked up at her and chirped in response. Its small dark face was lost in a halo of the vibrant golden fur that covered the rest of its body, including its long fluffy tail. When they leaned down to peer more closely, the creature chirped again, and jumped over to them, clambering up to perch on their shoulder.

"I love it!" And they did – the tiny creature with its adorable chirps and soft fur and unconcerned clinginess had claimed their heart instantly.

"She's a rare monkey from the far south, raised by hand and specially trained to be a lady's companion animal. They're very rare, and very fashionable, and I knew I had to have her for you." Khesh reached over to gently pet the monkey's head, but she shrank back, grabbing his finger to sniff it first. He smiled. "Her name is Saffron."

"Saffron," Daifan repeated, thinking that they could come up with a much better name. Khesh was unlikely to approve, but he didn't need to know, either. They smiled back, tilting their head for a kiss. "Thank you, my love."

Later they would take time to learn all the important details of caring for the monkey, and be sure to show Khesh the gratitude his thoughtfulness deserved. For this afternoon, it was enough to spend it together, making friends with their new companion.


End file.
